Antisemitism as a diversionary tactic

[Fisherman]

It's still a synagogue, and it was still a hundred metres around the corner from where Eddowes was found. Speaking of proximity, has anyone explored the possibility that the killer had a downer on Kearley and Tonge? The body was a fair bit closer to that building than it was to the synagogue.

I think that a teahouse link has been suggested at some time, actually. But just as the case is with the jewish connection, I think we are dealing with very tenuous links. Which is why, I believe, some posters jump to the conclusion that the Ripper only some way into the process opted for trying to exploit the matter. Personally, I am disinclined to see any real relevance in the fusion of the Ripper and an exploitation of anti-jewish feelings. There is too little in it, and it is too inconsistent to work for me.

[MrBarnett]

I believe the City of London police headquarters was once on old Jewry street. That's it Jack wanted to put the blame on those bloomin coppers

Old Jewry, not Jewry Street.

[Darryl Kenyon]

Old Jewry, not Jewry Street.

Old Jewry, now there's somewhere Jack could murder someone to really put the blame on the Jews err except he didn't

[Fisherman]

Yes, actually. I think A.P. Wolf did indeed explore that possibility with his suspect Thomas Cutbush.

There we are - that was the one I remembered! Thanks, R J!

[Darryl Kenyon]

If there were so many connections round Aldgate why didn't Jack choose there? after Bucks Row when Pizer came to prominence. Instead of further north Hanbury St, and what Jewish connection? Ahh, the apron, of course, he had x-ray eyes and knew it was in the backyard.

[c.d.]

It would seem that the real question is whether the police eliminated any suspect simply because they were a Jew or because they were a gentile.

c.d.

[MrBarnett]

I think that a teahouse link has been suggested at some time, actually. But just as the case is with the jewish connection, I think we are dealing with very tenuous links. Which is why, I believe, some posters jump to the conclusion that the Ripper only some way into the process opted for trying to exploit the matter. Personally, I am disinclined to see any real relevance in the fusion of the Ripper and an exploitation of anti-jewish feelings. There is too little in it, and it is too inconsistent to work for me.

Hi Fish,

There's nothing tenuous about the connecting Jewishness of the IWMEC and the environs of Mitre Square. If the STGITE murder had been in Pinchin Street and the City one in Cheapside, there would have been plenty of Jewish residents and businesses nearby, but I wouldn't find that of any significance. As it is, the significance of those two spots does intrigue me, even if I ignore the message in Goulston Street.

Gary

[Batman]

Door to door searches could only mean a Jew living with others did it. Anderson.

It would seem that the real question is whether the police eliminated any suspect simply because they were a Jew or because they were a gentile.

c.d.

We know after the murder of Eddowes that they were only looking for a male who was living alone in the area and could have possibly committed the crimes. So they did door to door searches and came to the conclusion that no such person could have done the crimes and therefore JtR was living with other people. They obviously narrowed their search down to Kozminski who was a Jew and living with other Jewish family members who could not be sure of his activities at the times of the crimes. Anderson practically published that only the Jews could be protecting their own like this, to which he received a number of complaints.

Does it sound fair? I don't think it does. There must have been some bias present to almost exclusively blame a Jewish household who had JtR in their midst, knowingly or not. As no Gentile family could do this, which is ridiculous.

[c.d.]

Let's assume for the sake of argument that the Ripper absolutely used antisemitism as a diversionary tactic. What can we conclude from this? Can we say then with absolute certainty that the Ripper had to be a Jew or can we say with absolutely certainty that the Ripper was a gentile?

I don't see how we can possibly reach a conclusion so it seems to me that this line of reasoning is pretty much moot.

c.d.

[MrBarnett]

Old Jewry, now there's somewhere Jack could murder someone to really put the blame on the Jews err except he didn't

I believe 'Old' in this case means formerly. It was the area where Jews had lived prior to their expulsion in 1290. If Jack had killed there we'd be looking for an antiquarian suspect.

As it is, he killed at a spot which was arguably then the centre of Jewish London.

[c.d.]

I believe 'Old' in this case means formerly. It was the area where Jews had lived prior to their expulsion in 1290. If Jack had killed there we'd be looking for an antiquarian suspect.

As it is, he killed at a spot which was arguably then the centre of Jewish London.

Well I live in Washington, D.C. which means that you can close your eyes, throw a stone and be pretty much assured that it will land in proximity to some site of at least some sort of historical significance. But that doesn't necessarily mean that there is some sort of connection to that site.

c.d.

[c.d.]

"We know after the murder of Eddowes that they were only looking for a male who was living alone in the area and could have possibly committed the crimes."

"Only"? I think it much more likely that they were looking for anybody who seemed suspicious for whatever reason.

c.d.

[Batman]

"We know after the murder of Eddowes that they were only looking for a male who was living alone in the area and could have possibly committed the crimes."

"Only"? I think it much more likely that they were looking for anybody who seemed suspicious for whatever reason.

c.d.

Sure but their priority was to do this first so that they could conclude if he was living alone or not. They decided JtR did not live alone based on these searches. They then deduced he lived with others who must know something or can't account for his movements. How they went from that to a Jew as per Anderson is probably a result of finding this Kozminski character in these searches.

[Fisherman]

Hi Fish,

There's nothing tenuous about the connecting Jewishness of the IWMEC and the environs of Mitre Square. If the STGITE murder had been in Pinchin Street and the City one in Cheapside, there would have been plenty of Jewish residents and businesses nearby, but I wouldn't find that of any significance. As it is, the significance of those two spots does intrigue me, even if I ignore the message in Goulston Street.

Gary

Hi Gary! I of course donīt object to the description of the Mitre Square environs as being smack bang in the middle of all things Jewish in London. It was.
The question is, however: can you kill a victim there without the murder having anything to do with the Jewish heritage surrounding the spot?
I answer that question with a "yes". You can.
I find the suggestion that the killer may have swopped Met territory for City ditto more intriguing, personally. And the Jewish surroundings came with the deal, simple as that.
To me, if the killer really wanted to make a point about Jewishness, I find he made a poor choice of victim in Kelly. And he forgot to write something inflammable about Jews on the walls of her room.

As I say, to me, it is too little and too inconsistent to be truly tantalizing. If others disagree, then Iīm fine with that; itīs all down to our different convictions and hunches.

[MrBarnett]

Well I live in Washington, D.C. which means that you can close your eyes, throw a stone and be pretty much assured that it will land in proximity to some site of at least some sort of historical significance. But that doesn't necessarily mean that there is some sort of connection to that site.

c.d.

But if your first stone went through the window of a Chinese restaurant, the second through the window of the Chinese embassy and you left a third on top of a fortune cookie which read 'people who live in pagodas shouldn't throw stones', might it not be reasonable to suspect you didn't like Chinese people?